2015 PG All-American Classic blog

Be sure to check back early and often over the next several days, as this page will provide a running blog of notes, features and highlights from all of the events that are part of the Perfect Game All-American Classic. You can also follow updates via Twitter and Facebook and view photos of the event on Flickr.

Patrick Ebert – Tuesday, August 18, 2015 – 8:17 PM PDT

Sandy Huffaker, who has been serving as the official photographer for the Perfect Game All-American Classic since it moved to Southern California, provides some of his favorite shots, peering more into the behind-the-scenes aspects of the Classic with a personal touch on the people who are honored to take part in this annual event.

We'll have a full recap of the game up shortly, but the East beat the West, 3-1, in this year's PG All-American Classic. Josh Lowe struck out Blake Rutherford – who hit a booming RBI double earlier in the game – swinging with the bases loaded and two outs to close out the game. It was the first time the East team had won the game since 2010, and pulled within two of the all-time series, with the West holding a 7-5-1 advantage.

Each of the 18 pitchers that took the mound peaked at least as high as 91 mph. Here is the full list of peak pitching velocities:

For
the past 13 years, Perfect Game has invited two of the top active
high school coaches in the country to be the head coaches of the East
and West teams at the Perfect Game All-American Classic. And for the
past 13 years, the head coaches have proved to be just as thrilled as
their players at their inclusion.
This
year is no exception. East Team head coach Tim Held from Moeller High
School in Cincinnati and West Team head man Jeff Sherman from Marcus
High School in Flower Mound, Texas, have enjoyed themselves at this
charitable amateur baseball festival just as much as the 50 best high
school seniors in the country that are under their guidance.
“What
a first-class operation Perfect Game is running, along with all of
their sponsors,” Held said. “Just to be around this many great
players – we think we have a lot just around my program or in
Cincinnati in general – it’s just great to be a part of all of
this.”
The
East and West teams and coaches arrived at Petco Park just past noon
on Sunday well ahead of the 13th annual Perfect Game All-American
Classic’s first pitch at 5:17 p.m. (5 p.m. MLB Network; SiriusXM
MLB Network Radio); a practice session was scheduled for 3 p.m. and
the Home Run Challenge finals for 4:15. Helm and Sherman found
themselves more appreciative than anything else.
“Being
around the best players in the country and being a part of this
experience is just a blessing for me and my family,” Sherman said.
“With these (players), I feel like the separation (from other
players) is their approach and their love of the game. These guys
want to take as many ground balls as possible; they want to work.
They love the game and that’s obviously the reason they’re here.”

The
players from both teams spent the day Friday visiting Rady Children’s
Hospital and PG All-American Classic Honorary Chairman Trevor
Hoffman’s Pacific Ocean beach house, experiences that everyone
involved could only call “incredible.”
But
Held noticed once the players got out on the field at the University
of San Diego’s Fowler Park for their practice session Friday night
was the first time he really saw them relax.
“They
started talking a lot more once they were doing their thing – they
were playing baseball,” he said. “(Sunday) night I’ll just try
to help them relax and have a good time and understand it’s a
showcase. Yeah, there’s going to be a lot of scouts in the stands
watching them another time, but the past history of this All-American
game says there is going to be a whole lot of them getting drafted
and I’m just really proud that I get to be a very small part of
it.”

Moeller
High School has produced 11 major league players in its history,
including Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin. Held was the head varsity
assistant coach to Moeller legend Mike Cameron for six years before
taking over the head coaching job eight years ago, and maintained an
almost unheard of level of excellence.
Seven
of Held’s eight teams advanced to the Ohio Division I state
playoffs final four and won state championships in 2009, 2012, 2013
and 2015. This year’s state championship team finished 31-3 and No.
4 in the final Perfect Game High School National Rankings; Held is
214-34 in eight seasons.
“We
have a bunch of hard-workers,” Held said. “We have a lot of kids
and families that are dedicated and committed to getting better and
wanted to come to Moeller High School.”

Marcus
High School shares a big stage in the Dallas suburbs with neighbor
Flower Mound High School – both were in the top-15 in PG’s
National High School Preseason Rankings – and in Sherman’s three
years at the school has compiled an 85-26 record. Marcus won a school
record 32 games in 2014 and Sherman was named the Texas Class 6A
Coach of the Year.
Eleven
players Sherman coached at Marcus over the past three seasons have
graduated to NCAA Division-I schools and 25 have moved on to
collegiate careers at all levels.
“Marcus
baseball, there’s nothing like it,” Sherman said. “We have a
great community, we have a great school and we have great players. I
went to Marcus so I have a big connection with the community and I
take a lot of pride in having the opportunity to showcase Marcus High
School.”

Both
coaches admitted to using this opportunity to do a little networking
while also picking the brains of the six assistant coaches: Luis
Lorenzana, Manny Hermosillo Sr., Manny Hermosillo Jr. Tim Lowery,
Eddie Johnson and Brett Kay.

Lowery,
the head coach at Cosby High School in Midlothian, Va., was the East
Team head coach at last year’s Classic; Kay, head coach at JSerra
Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., was the 2014
West Team head coach.

Helm
and Sherman acknowledged that they wouldn’t be doing a whole heck
of a lot of coaching during Sunday night’s Classic, preferring
instead to just sit back and watch the young prospects perform at a
higher level than anyone else in their age-group.
Helm
watched his East hitters belt 61 home runs during Friday night’s
batting practice session at USD, and said he was now looking forward
to watching the class of 2016’s best pitchers throw during Sunday’s
game. Sherman said he was going to be the West team’s top
“encourager” noting his players are already “unbelievable from
a technical standpoint.”
“My
biggest (message) to them is to just appreciate the whole thing,”
Sherman said. “Just appreciate how grateful you are to be a part of
this event because you’re going to look back 20 years from now and
think, ‘Man, this was awesome.’ … That’s the biggest thing
that I’m trying to communicate is that this is going to be a big
part of their career and they should really appreciate it.”

Patrick Ebert – Sunday, August 16, 2015 – 1:08 PM PDT

2015 PG All-American Classic lineups

Listed below (and in the picture above) are the starting lineups, as well as the projected pitchers, inning by inning, for this year's Classic. The West Squad will be the home team.

Here are more pre-game photos, including the coaching staff for both squads and select players from the East and West squads in their game uniforms provided by Nike Baseball.

Patrick Ebert – Sunday, August 16, 2015 – 12:38 PM PDT
Here are a few pre-game photos, including the players on the bus on the way to Petco Park, the helmet the East Squad will be wearing and the beautiful new scoreboard at Petco.

Game
day is upon us. The 2015 Perfect Game All-American Classic will be
played at 5:00 pm PDT at Petco Park. First pitch is scheduled for
5:17 and the players are excited to take the field.

Prior
to departing for the game the players attended one last presentation,
EvoShield's "Protecting the Game" summit in which Chuck Fox
of Major League Baseball spoke to the players and their families
about some long-lasting keys to the game.

Warm-ups
and batting practice will begin at 1:40 followed by the final round
of the Home Run Challenge.
The
game itself will be available on MLB Network with Daron Sutton, Mike
Rooney, Dave Valle and Brett Dolan providing the analysis for
everyone to enjoy. For the second consecutive year the game will also
be available on satellite radio, with MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM
providing the broadcast. Mike Ferrin and myself will provide the
commentary on Sirius 220 and XM 176. The game will be broadcasted
again on radio at 8:00 pm Pacific on Sirius 209 and XM 89 in lieu of
Perfect Game's usual weekly MLB Roundtrip Sunday night segment.
Full details are available on the PG All-American Classic Event Info page.

New
Jersey’s Groome becomes 12th Jackie Robinson Award winner
Hard-throwing
New Jersey left-hander Jason Groome received the coveted Jackie
Robinson Award as the Perfect Game National High School Player of the
Year during Saturday night’s PG All-American Classic Awards Banquet
at the San Diego Hall of Champions.
Groome,
a Vanderbilt University recruit from Barnegat, N.J., became the 12th
recipient of the Jackie Robinson Award, joining current major league
players Justin Upton, Mychal Givens, Bryce Harper, Daniel Norris and
Lance McCullers as winners of the award.
“It’s
an honor, knowing the background that (Robinson) had,” Groome said
after accepting the award. “Being known as one of the top players
in the country, it’s a dream come true. My family never doubted me
one bit, and that’s what helped me the most; my work ethic is
through the roof. I always try to be the best … and I always try to
be the hardest working person in the room, and it pays off.”
Groome
spent this past spring at prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.,
where he won five games and compiled a 0.98 ERA while striking out 77
batters in 42 innings pitched. He is planning on playing his senior
season in 2016 back home at Barnegat High School.
The
6-foot-6, 180-pound southpaw played his summer ball the last two
years with the Voorhees, N.J.-based Tri-State Arsenal, the same
organization that reigning American League MVP Mike Trout of the Los
Angeles Angels played for. As fate would have it, Groome’s
Tri-State coach, Bob Barth, was in attendance at the San Diego Hall
of Champions Saturday night.
“It’s
an honor for me to have coached him and to be part of the program
he’s been a part of, but as a New Jersey guy and a Northeast guy,
it says a lot about how far baseball has come that a Northeast guy is
the Perfect Game Jackie Robinson Award winner,” Barth said. “Only
Perfect Game could put something together like this that means as
much as it does, but who would have thought that a New Jersey guy
would win it and be the best player in the country.”
The
Jackie Robinson Award was only one of 11 handed out during Saturday
night’s ceremonies. The other winners were:
Baseball
America Pitcher of the Year: Ian Anderson, Rexford, N.Y.Perfect
Game Nick Adenhart Award: Jeff Belge, Syracuse, N.Y.Web Gem Grunt
Award: Carlos Cortes, Oviedo, Fla.Zepp Labs Heart & Hustle
Award: Cole Stobbe, Omaha, Neb.TrackMan Award: Tyler Baum, Ocoee,
Fla.MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM Two-Way Player of the Year:
Joshua Lowe, Marietta, Ga.Baseball Prospectus Prospect of the
Year: Avery Tuck, San DiegoRawlings Defensive Player of the Year:
Grant Bodison, Simpsonville, S.C.EvoShield SWAG Award: Blake
Rutherford, Simi Valley, Calif.Louisville Slugger Most
Outstanding Offensive Player: Mickey Moniak, Encinitas, Calif.
The
presentation of the EvoShield SWAG Award, which recognizes style and
attitude, took a special twist when presenter Hardie Jackson deferred
to a large video board behind the podium where a taped message from
current Houston Astros rookie sensation Carlos Correa was delivered.
Correa,
the winner of the 2011 Rawlings Defensive Player of the Year,
personally congratulated Rutherford on winning the award and also
congratulated all of the All-Americans in the room for their
accomplishments.
It was also announced at the Awards Banquet that this year's All-Americans raised in excess of $42,000 through their individual fund-raising efforts. The top fund-raisers were Ben Baird (West) who collected $6,509 and Braxton Garrett (East) who raised $5,010.

Patrick
Ebert – Saturday, August 15, 2015 – 9:56 PM PDT
Grant Bodison receives the Rawlings Defensive Player of the
Year Award from Mike Thompson (left) and Mark Kraemer
Jason
Groome named 2015 Jackie Robinson Award winner
On
Saturday evening the annual dinner and awards banquet took place at
the San Diego Hall of Champions. Jeff Dahn will have a more detailed
feature on Sunday focusing on the 2015 Jackie Robinson Player of the
Year Award winner, Jason Groome, but for now here is a list of all of
the players that received an award at the event:
Baseball
America Pitcher of the Year: Ian AndersonPerfect
Game Nick Adenhart Award: Jeff BelgeWeb
Gem Grunt Award: Carlos CortesZepp
Labs Heart & Hustle Award: Cole StobbeTrackMan
Award: Tyler BaumMLB
Network Radio on SiriusXM Two-Way Player of the Year: Joshua LoweBaseball
Prospectus Prospect of the Year: Avery TuckRawlings
Defensive Player of the Year: Grant BodisonEvoShield
SWAG Award: Blake RutherfordLouisville
Slugger Most Outstanding Offensive Player: Mickey MoniakJackie
Robinson Player of the Year: Jason Groome
To
view all of the award winners from the dinner banquet, as well as
photos from all of the activities from the 2015 Perfect Game
All-American Classic, visit the event's Flickr page.

Rizzo, Rortvedt, Rutherford and Kirilloff advance to the Home Run Challenge finals
The
PG All-Americans began Saturday back on the fields of Fowler Park and
Cunningham Field at the University of San Diego. They opened the
morning with a round of batting practice before the first round of
the home run challenge began.
New
rules were instituted this year for the challenge, as each batter
that participated (31 in total) was given 2 1/2 minutes to hit as many
home runs as they could. The BP pitcher could not deliver the next
pitch until the ball that was previously struck hit the ground.
Players could gain an additional 30 seconds, one time only, if they
hit back-to-back home runs.
Every
single player that participated hit at least one home run in this
year's challenge, and all but two hit more than one, a true rarity,
and the overall display of power was incredibly impressive. The West
Squad took to the plate first with several hitters continuing the
power theme at this year's Classic.
Outfielder
Jaren Shelby was the first to put on an impressive display of natural
strength, jacking eight bombs out. Shortstop Gavin Lux got into a
groove two batters later, knocking out seven. Two batters after Lux,
Nicholas Quintana took the batter's box and he also hit seven out.
The
next batter, Ben Rortvedt, who hit a shot off the 452-foot marker on
the top of the dormitory building during batting practice on Friday,
truly kicked off the fireworks, hitting 13 home runs out of the park
with yet another incredibly impressive display of natural strength
and a powerful lefthanded swing.
Walker
Robbins, the next batter, took a few swings to find his rhythm, but
when he did the ball carried effortlessly, hitting seven home runs.
A
few batters later Blake Rutherford tied Rortvedt for the lead at 13,
absolutely crushing balls over the right field fence, hitting two on
the roof of the aforementioned dormitory building.
Cole
Stobbe, a righthanded hitter, displayed light-tower power, hitting
several balls a mile in the air with a quick, easy swing. The last of
his 11 home runs sailed over the far right side of the batter's eye
in center field.
Avery
Tuck, yet another imposing lefthanded hitter with a taller frame and
swing path similar to that of Rutherford, was the last of the West
hitters to participate in the challenge. Tuck got into a groove later
in his round and hit 10 out.
After
Khalil Lee hit six out to open the challenge for the East Squad,
third baseman Joe Rizzo continued his incredibly impressive display
of power that he started on Friday during batting practice. With his
quick, powerful swing, he put a lot of juice in the ball, and took
the lead of the challenge with 14 home runs, which would mark the
most hit in the first round.
Alex
Kirilloff, similar to Robbins, did a really nice job lofting the ball
with backspin to hit 11 out from the lefthanded batter's box. Luis
Curbelo, a righthanded hitter, also did a good job hitting the ball
high in the air with an incredibly easy stroke, blasting 11 out while
hitting several others that just missed.
Carlos
Cortes got in a nice groove and hit 10 out, and while Herbert Iser
and Drew Mendoza “only” hit two and five home runs respectively,
they took displayed clean and easy strokes as lefthanded hitters.
Max
Guzman is a different type of slugger than anyone else in San Diego,
simply overpowering the ball with his incredibly powerful frame,
knocking 10 balls out of the park. Several of those were hit well out
of the park and onto the football practice field that lies well
beyond the left field wall.
Due
to a three-way tie between Stobbe, Kirilloff and Curbelo, each hitter
got 10 additional pitches to determine which slugger would advance to
the finals. Of this trio Kirilloff would advance by hitting four home
runs. Stobbe hit one and Curbelo two.
Rizzo,
Rortvedt, Rutherford and Kirilloff will compete in the finals at
Petco Park on Sunday prior to the game itself to determine the 2015
Perfect Game All-American Classic Home Run Challenge winner.
Here
are the totals:
14
– Joe Rizzo13
– Ben Rortvedt, Blake Rutherford11
– Cole Stobbe, Alex Kirilloff, Luis Curbelo10
– Avery Tuck, Carlos Cortes, Max Guzman8
– Jaren Shelby7
– Gavin Lux, Nicholas Quintana, Walker Robbins6
– Khalil Lee5
– Ben Baird, Nonie Williams, Blake Sabol, Drew Mendoza4
– Nolan Jones, Mario Feliciano, Grant Bodison3
– Dominic Fletcher, Tyler Fitzgerald, Mickey Moniak, Brandon
McIlwain, Francisco Thomas2
– David Hamilton, Herbert Iser, Josh Lowe1
– Luke Berryhill, Alexis Torres

Patrick Ebert – Friday, August 14, 2015 – 11:37 PM PDT

Carlos Cortes pitched a quick 1-2-3 inning to open the East/West scrimmage on Friday night at USD

East puts on impressive BP display, West wins scrimmage 3-2

On
Friday evening the Perfect Game All-Americans took the field at the
University of San Diego's beautiful ballpark, Fowler Park and
Cunningham Field, after a long day that started with the
All-American's annual visit to Rady Children's Hospital and an
afternoon spent on the Pacific Ocean at Trevor Hoffman's beach house.
The
East Squad started things off with a bang as part of batting
practice, divided into three groups of five hitters. Sixty-one total
home runs were hit by East hitters, and in total 19 players hit two
or more home runs during this impressive display of power.
Two-way
standout Joshua Lowe, Alex Kirilloff, Grant Bodison and Alexis Torres
hit seven, five, four and two of those home runs respectively as part
of that first group. Lowe creates great natural lofty with his swing
thanks to his size and strength, showing easy power mostly to his
pull side as a lefthanded hitter. One of his home runs landed on the
roof of the dormitory building located past the wall in right field,
reminiscent of former PG All-American sluggers such as Joey Gallo,
Kris Bryant and Bryce Harper.
Kirilloff,
also a lefthanded hitter, also has a knack for lofting the ball,
hitting one ball well over the trees in deep right-center field.
Bodison, who made the highlight defensive play at the National
Showcase in mid-June, also put his continually improving offensive
talents on display as he really drove the ball well, while Torres
showed really good juice in his swing, especially his second time in
the batter's box.
The
standouts from the second group of East hitters included Luis
Curbelo, Drew Mendoza and Max Guzman, three hitters who have
significantly different offensive and overall profiles. Curbelo, a
righthanded hitter, routinely hit the ball hard to left field,
hitting one ball in particular that easily cleared the wall, landing
on the football practice fields that lie behind. Mendoza continues to
make power look easy from the lefthanded batter's box, with a
seemingly effortless swing as he too consistently squared up the
ball. Guzman's approach was more about power and strength, crushing
ball after ball during his second time through the cage, hitting six
balls out.
The
last group of East hitters may have been the best, as Carlos Cortes
continued to prove why he's considered one of, if not the best hitter
in his class. Two-sport talent Brandon McIlwain showed great
pull-side power, and Herbert Iser easily hit towering blast after
towering blast, leading to seven total bombs in his times through the
batter's box. Iser hit three out in a row, while showing no problem
driving the ball to left-center field as a lefthanded hitter.
Joe
Rizzo, also a lefthanded hitter (something this year's Classic has an
abundance of) put on the biggest display, with extremely fast hands
and a short, compact swing that made hitting look so incredibly easy.
He had the most home runs in his rounds of BP, hitting eight total
balls out of the park.
Although
the West squad “only” hit 21 home runs during their round of
batting practice, it was still an impressive display of offensive
talent, in what was described as a more “normal” round of BP as
compared to past performances at USD.
Walker
Robbins and Ben Rortvedt, both lefthanded hitters, were among the
most impressive, and both hit in the first group. Walker showed great
loft in his swing with several towering hits, and during one stretch
he hit the ball out of the ballpark six times on eight swings.
Rortvedt, a tightly wound athlete with an impressive overall
tool-set, was really driving the ball hard and consistently squaring
it up, hitting a home run on each of his last two swings to give him
five on the day.
Cole
Stobbe, only the second PG All-American from the state of Nebraska
(2013 MVP Jakson Reetz), is an impressive overall athlete and showed
a strong, easy swing from the right side. San Diego native Mickey
Moniak did what he always does by peppering line drives from the gap
in left-center to the gap in right-center with an easy, low effort
swing. Blake Rutherford, yet another lefthanded slugger, is a big,
physical athlete and displayed easy power with big extension from his
swing. The ball really jumped off of his bat during his impressive
rounds of BP.
After
batting practice both teams took part of a very crisp round of
infield and outfield drills followed by the Classic's annual
scrimmage. There weren't nearly as many offensive fireworks during
this exhibition game, as it moved quickly in preparation for Sunday's
nationally televised event.
Carlos
Cortes, a rare athlete who can throw with both hands, took the mound
as a lefthanded pitcher even though he is a primary position
prospect. He worked quickly with a low-80s fastball and solid
upper-60s to low-70s curveball to retire the West side in order.
Walker
Robbins, also a lefthanded hurler known more for his bat, pitched the
first inning for the West, working at 85-86 mph with his fastball
while striking out a pair of batters in another quick 1-2-3 inning.
Khalil
Lee tossed the top of the second for the East, yet another quick
inning, striking out a batter and recording two quick flyouts to
center field, although he did give up an infield single to Gavin Lux,
who showed great hustle and quickness down the first base line.
Joe
Magrisi, one of the top prospects in the class of 2018 that attends
high school at Rancho Bernardo High School, was one of three players
that weren't selected to play in this year's Classic but were invited
to fill up some innings in the scrimmage. Magrisi also made quick
work of the East batters in his one inning of work, recording a pair
of groundouts to third base thanks to a low- to mid-80s fastball and
a low-70s curve ball that he dropped in nicely for strikes.
Josh
Lambert, the second of three pitchers that helped fill innings as
noted above, took the mound in the top of the third and worked the
rest of the way for the East. Although he did give up three runs in
his three innings of work, his fastball consistently sat at 85-87 mph
while showing four distinct pitches including a low-70s curve, a
mid-70s slider and a changeup. He retired three of the four batters
he faced in his first inning of work, walking David Hamilton, who
quickly showed off his game-changing speed by stealing second base.
In
the top of the fourth Blake Rutherford led off the frame with a
towering pop fly to shallow right field (with a hang time of 6.6
seconds) that was misplayed in the lights. Rutherford was flying as
soon as he left the batter's box, and ended up at third base with a
hustle and heady triple. Two batters later Mickey Moniak drove him in
with an RBI single, promptly stealing both second and third base
before scoring on a wild pitch to Jaren Shelby, who walked, to give
the West a 2-0 lead
The
West would add another run in the fifth, as Dominic Fletcher led the
inning off with a hustle double to right-center, which was followed
by an infield single by Nonie Williams and an RBI groundout by Blake
Sabol. In this inning Luke Berryhill did gun down Williams trying to
steal second base on a perfect throw that was popped at 1.97 seconds.
The
third pitcher to provide innings in the scrimmage was 2016 lefthander
Austin Hurd of Chino Hills High School. While Hurd didn't throw
particularly hard (81-82 mph), he commanded the ball well in his
three innings of work while spinning a nice upper-60s curveball and a
solid changeup. He did allow a broken bat flare that dropped for a
base hit off of the bat of Joshua Lowe, the second batter he faced,
but recovered nicely to retire the next two batters, as well as three
of the four batters he faced in the bottom of the fourth.
The
East team made things interesting in the bottom of the fifth (in a
five-inning contest), doing so with two outs. Alexis Torres hit a
sharp single to center field followed by yet another sharp single to
left-center off the bat of Francisco Thomas. After Mario Feliciano
walked Berryhill provided yet another hard hit single up the middle
that scored two runs.
Due
to the batter limit structure Berryhill was the final batter of the
game as the West secured the scrimmage of the 2015 Perfect Game
All-American Classic by a score of 3-2.

Patrick Ebert – Friday, August 14, 2015 – 10:20 PM PDT

Be sure to read Jeff Dahn's piece about the PG All-Americans annual visit to Rady Children's Hospital on Friday, the highlight of the Classic each and every year:Rady visit reveals real heroes

Patrick Ebert – Friday, August 14, 2015 – 5:23 PM PDT

Friday morning started with the annual visit to Rady Children's Hospital where the players interacted with the young patients being treated. For as much as the Perfect Game All-American Classic highlights the top high school players in the nation, the event has always been about raising money and awareness in the fight against pediatric cancer, and since 2003 the event has raised over $850,000 for this cause. Stayed tuned to the site for Jeff Dahn's stand alone feature on the impressions the young children made on the players and vice versa.

After the visit to Rady Children's Hospital Hononary Chairman Trevor Hoffman was kind enough to have the players over to his beach house on the Pacific Ocean for lunch and a variety of activities including football, volleyball and various water sports. Trevor himself (as pictured) took part in these activities and we thank he and his family for their generous hospitality.

Jeff
Dahn – Friday, August 14, 2015 – 3:57 PM PDT

2011 PG All-American addresses this year's participants via Skype

PG
A-A Classic prospects enjoy annual ‘Welcome Dinner’
In
what has become an annual rite of passage for the country’s top
50-plus rising high school senior prospects, the Marriott-San Diego
Mission Valley hosted the “Welcome Dinner” for this year’s 13th annual Perfect Game All-American Classic on Thursday night.The
51 prospects selected to play in Sunday evening’s Classic dined on
fruits, salads, steamed vegetables and rice, roasted red potatoes,
pan-seared Napa chicken, top sirloin and an assortment of dessert
choices, but not until after they had heard from PG officials and one
very special guest who appeared on a television monitor via Skype.The
message delivered from 2011 PG All-American Clate Schmidt struck a
very loud cord with this year’s PG All-Americans, who on Friday
made their visit to Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, the
long-time beneficiary of the PG All-American Classic.
Schmidt
played in the 2011 Perfect Game All-American Classic at Petco Park,
sharing the field with success stories such as Carlos Correa, Addison
Russell, Lance McCullers, Joey Gallo, Alex Bregman, Corey Seager and
Lucas Giolito, among others. Schmidt was a 36th-round pick
of the Detroit Tigers in 2012 but didn’t sign and headed for
Clemson.His
career was progressing nicely until this past spring when he was
diagnosed with stage 2 nodular sclerosing lymphoma. He has spent the
summer undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
“It
has been an extremely humbling experience for me,” Schmidt told the
All-Americans. “When I was in your shoes, I remember going to
(Rady) and walking through and just trying to introduce myself to all
the little kids. … My experience of going through the whole (PG)
All-American (weekend) was unreal, but the thing that had the biggest
impact on me was going to the hospital and meeting with those kids.”Schmidt,
a right-handed pitcher from Acworth, Ga., told the players that the
summer has been an eye-opener for him because he hasn’t been able
to throw or go through his normal workout routine. That, in turn, has
shown him once again just how much he loves baseball and how much he
misses it when it’s taken away. The good news is, it’s coming
back. To a large round of applause, Schmidt told the gathering that
he is now cancer-free.After
Schmidt spoke, Perfect Game Founder and President Jerry Ford stepped to the
podium and informed the All-Americans that based on the numbers from
the first 12 Classics, one out of every three of them seated in the
room could expect to be a first-round pick in a future MLB First-Year
Player Draft.Ford
also spoke of Rady Children’s Hospital and pediatric cancer
research and treatment and told the select group of young men who may
one day make a very lucrative living playing baseball to at least
think about making charitable donations to the cause of eliminating
pediatric cancer.
“It’s
something to think about because … this is the cause that we at
Perfect Game fight for,” Ford said. “I’m just asking you to
consider that if and when the time comes.”Following
Ford’s remarks, seven awards recognizing high-level performances at
June’s Perfect Game National Showcase were handed out. The award
winners were:
Fastest
Man – David Hamilton, San Marcos, TexasTop
Power Hitter – Avery Tuck, San DiegoTop
Hitter – Mickey Moniak, Encinitas, Calif.Top
Two-Way Prospect – Joshua Lowe, Marietta, Ga.Top
Pitchers – Ian Anderson, Rexford, N.Y.; Kevin Gowdy, Santa
Barbara, Calif.Top
Defensive Player – Grant Bodison, Simpsonville, S.C.Top
Overall Prospect – Jason Groome, Barnegat, N.J.

Patrick Ebert – Friday, August 14, 2015 – 3:31 PM PDT

The player bus for this year's Classic got a facelift, fully brandished with the Perfect Game All-American Classic logo with the corresponding Nike swoosh. Perfect Game's Daron Sutton and Mike Rooney, who will provide the commentary of the game on MLB Network on Sunday, help model this slick looking vehicle that shuttles the players to and from all of the festivities related to the Classic.

Stay tuned for updates as the players visited Rady Children's Hospital on Friday morning followed by a visit to Honorary Chairman Trevor Hoffman's beach house on the Pacific Ocean.

Patrick Ebert – Tuesday, August 11, 2015 – 7:16 PM PDT

In preparation for this year's PG All-American Classic our friends at Nike provided a brief glimpse of the uniforms the East/West players will wear as well as the corresponding release:

Top
Amateur Baseball Players Participate in the Perfect Game All-American
Classic
When
51 of the nation’s top amateur baseball players take the field this
Sunday, August 16, at Petco Park, they will be wearing exclusive
colorways of the latest iteration of Nike Baseball’s Vapor
Collection, which allows for faster play with zero distractions.
As
the official footwear, apparel and vision partner of the Perfect
Game All-American Classic
(PGAAC) for the second consecutive year, Nike will dress the East and
West teams in the Nike
Vapor Elite Uniform,
comprising the Nike Vapor Elite Jersey, Pant and Belt; Nike Vapor
Elite Pro Batting Glove; Nike Pro Combat Hyperstrong Slider Tight;
Nike Pro Combat Hyperwarm Player’s Sleeve; Nike Vapor Elite Crew
Baseball Sock; and Nike True Vapor Fitted Hat. They will also wear
Nike Show X1 Sunglasses, Nike Pro Hypercool Vapor Windshirts and
the recently released Nike
Huarache 2K Filth.
Proceeds
of PGAAC ticket sales support pediatric cancer research at Rady
Children’s Hospital – San Diego. The Rady Children’s Hospital
kite logo appears on the chest of the Nike Pro Hypercool base layer.

Jackie
Robinson Finalists released
The
Jackie Robinson Award,named for the late Major League Baseball Hall
of Famer and former Brooklyn Dodger, is awarded annually to the
Perfect Game National Player of the Year – the All-American
considered the nation’s top high school prospect. The award is
presented to the player who exhibits outstanding character,
leadership, is involved in his community and embodies the values of
being a student-athlete.
Jackie
Robinson came from humble beginnings as the son of a sharecropper in
Cairo, Georgia, to become the first black player to break Major
League Baseball’s color barrier that had segregated the sport for
more than 50 years. Jackie Robinson was not only a skilled baseball
player, he was an excellent all-around athlete. At UCLA, Robinson
became the first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports:
Baseball, football, basketball and track.
After
attending UCLA, Robinson briefly served in the U.S. Army, and after
receiving an honorable discharge, he played one season in Negro
Baseball League in 1945. Two years later in 1947, Robinson was
approached by the Brooklyn Dodgers about joining their franchise.
When he donned their uniform, he not only became the first black
player in Major League Baseball since the sport was segregated in
1889, he pioneered the integration in professional sports in America.
Through his integration, Robinson courageously challenged the racism
that existed in both the north and the south in America at that time.
At the end of Robinson’s rookie season with the Dodgers, he won the
National League batting title (.342) on his way to earning the
league's Rookie of the Year and MVP honors.
Robinson
was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 and was inducted
into UCLA’s Hall of Fame in 1984.
On
April 15, 1997, exactly 50 years after he broke the color barrier in
Major League Baseball, the entire nation honored his legacy.
Robinson’s No. 42 jersey number was retired league-wide, the first
and only player to earn this honor. That same day, President Bill
Clinton paid tribute to Robinson at the New York Mets’ Shea Stadium
in a special ceremony. Robinson was also honored by the United States
Postal Service that year with a commemorative postage stamp.

Jackie
Robinson’s life and legacy will continue to be remembered as one of
the most important in American history.

The
first recipient of the award was Justin Upton in 2004, the second
year of the Classic. Dazmon Cameron, the third of three first-round picks by the Houston Astros this year that played in previous editions of the PG All-American Classic (Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker),
received the honor last year.

Patrick
Ebert -- Tuesday, August 11, 2015 -- 6:08 AM PDTNicholas Quintana stood out at the 2014 PG Underclass All-American GamesScout
schedule
The
full schedule for baseball-related activities for the 2015 Perfect
Game All-American Classic can be found here.
Included on that page is the schedule for the 2015 PG Underclass
All-American Games which will be conducted this week prior to the Classic, Wednesday and Thursday August 12 and 13. The event will be held
at the University of San Diego's Fowler Park and Cunningham Field
(Google Maps are also included on that page).
This
annual event is held in conjunction with the Classic to showcase some
of the very best players in future graduating classes. Last year,
nine of this year's All-Americans (Herbert Iser, Jeff Belge, Mickey Moniak, Nicholas Quintana, Dominic Fletcher, Joshua Lowe, Nick Lodolo, Zachary Hess, Alex Kirilloff) participated, and all were named to the event's top prospect list.

Some of the other All-Americans that attended this event before shining on national TV the following year include two of the game's brightest young sluggers, Kris Bryant and Bryce Harper.

In
other words, this year's PG Underclass All-American Games will serve not only as a preview of some of the players we can expect to see in next
year's Classic, but also gives us a glimpse at some of the future stars of Major League Baseball.

Patrick
Ebert – Tuesday, August 11, 2015 – 5:56 AM PDT

Welcome
to the Perfect Game All-American Classic blog, and congratulations to
all of the players, friends and family members involved with the
Classic.

This
page will be used to provide updates from all of the events that are
part of the four-day festivities, primarily from Perfect Game Feature
Writer Jeff Dahn and myself.
Be
sure to visit the Media Room
page to read past features from the Perfect Game All-American Classic. Not included in those archives are features conducted on the players prior to the rosters were released on Monday, July 13. Here is a list of those features:

Visit
the Roster
page to access the individual player profiles, as well as the History
page to learn more about the previous 12 games played including the
inaugural event in 2003. The Scout
page provides the daily schedule of baseball-related activities,
including those for the 2015 PG Underclass All-American Games. And of
course, don't forget to tune into MLB Network, as well as MLB Network
Radio, at 5:00 pm PDT on Sunday for the game itself.